The idea of what would become La Tour Eiffel, the Eiffel Tower, was first envisioned in 1884 and completed as the entry arch and as a suitable centerpiece for the proposed 1889 Exposition Universelle, a World’s Fair which would mark the centennial of the French Revolution.
Standing 320 metres (1,050 feet) tall, Tour Eiffel held the title of the tallest man-made structure in the world for 41 years, until the Chrysler Building in New York City grabbed the crown in 1930.
The tower, located on the Champ de Mars in Paris, is the most-visited paid monument in the world, with over 250 million people having made the ascent to the observatory’s upper platform. One could only hazzard a wild guess how many more millions of people have made the trek to view Tour Eiffel in person, but did not pay to make the trip into the lower troposphere.
As one of the most recognizable structures on Earth, and one more of mankind’s engineering marvels, one cannot truly say that have visited Paris without, minimally, walking up to and touching the tower. The far better option, of course, is to view the beauty of Paris (and miles of France, as well) from the upper deck.
Over For Now.